The patent is directed to packages for displaying products, and more particularly to a package having a rotatable display element containing the displayed product and being rotatable to display multiple sides of the displayed product.
Various packages for displaying products have been previously described. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,868,249 to Ehnert discloses an enclosed transparent display case for sports balls comprising a base section removably attached to a rounded top section that incorporates rotatably affixed handle calipers to secure and suspend the sports ball within the display case. The display case provides the ability to suspend the ball within the interior of the display case, and to allow the ball to be rotatably controlled by a viewer and observe the ball with a clear view and a normal viewing angle without picking up the display or removing the ball.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,881,885 to Grimm discloses a capture/display packaging structure for a ball-like, or other hand-manipulable, article including an enclosure having spaced, opposite sides and an open exposure window intermediate the sides exposing a capture/display area for the article. The packaging structure also includes a pinioning structure including at least one portion extending adjacent one of the sides into the capture/display area adapted to pinion an article on display in the capture/display area.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,199,804 to Donofrio, Jr. discloses a display device including a base, first and second arms extending from the base, and first and second retainers attached respectively to the first and second arms. Either the arms or the retainers are flexible such that the retainers can be spread apart to receive a ball and then released to hold the ball therebetween. The display device also includes sports memorabilia held between the first and the second retainers.
Other types of packages for supporting products during shipping have been previously described. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,232,095 to Childers et al. discloses an apparatus for shipping goods which must be maintained in a predetermined orientation. A closable outer container has a shaft passing through it along an axis. A weighted closable inner container is rotatably mounted about this axis so that it may freely rotate within the outer container while always assuming a predetermined orientation.